Crazy cafes

This is the place to come for crazy only-in-Japan restaurants & cafés. If you’re looking for a photo-worthy experience while also grabbing a bite or a drink, Tokyo offers up the BEST! (But if what you came to this page looking for fabulous food, head over to Restaurants I Like instead. Like eateries with a view, food quality is often inversely proportional to photo upworthiness, just sayin’.)

An indoor street lined with stands selling the most famous savory dumplings from all over Japan • A shop selling super weird flavors of ice cream, like eel, beer, wasabi & more! • Both are in Namco Namja Town, an indoor theme park inside the Sunshine City shopping complex

Haunted prison restaurant •Each group dines in its own cell • Entertaining drinks served in test tubes, beakers, and IV stands often feature edible eyeballs • Live monster show takes place during every seating

Eat lunch in a genuine thatch-roofed farmhouse, built without nails • This lunch spot is at the midpoint of a village of beautifully restored thatch-roofed farmhouses, less than an hour from central Tokyo!

A la carte Japanese small plates served by ninjas in your very own dungeon

Entertaining “ninja castle” setting has drawbridge and dungeon-like atmosphere • Servers are ninjas who bring the food along with a little magic • Not cheap, but food is delicious and not too challenging for non-Japanese

Vegas meets New Japan in this music, dance and laser light show extravaganza • Taiko drumming and pole dancing alternate with battling robots • Food is meh (cold bento box) but the show is worth it • Links to more info & ticket reservations here

The #1 hostboy at Club Nova makes a handsome living, whispering sweet nothings in the ears of women who pay him a fortune for the privilege. But the party’s over when Tokyo Detective Kenji Nakamura is assigned to investigate the death of one of Hoshi’s customers…read more